by Kyle Armstrong
Here is… the X-Men reunion fans have been waiting for, mixing more recent actors with older more established ones, and even adding a few new characters to the mix along the way. Here is… the X-Men storyline many have been waiting for; and as far as I know many went home pleased. This has to be the darkest movie in the series. It shows a future compromised by the hatred of mutants and cities destroyed and lives lost to the Sentinels. The only way to try and stop the Sentinels and possibly save the future for mutants, is to change the past and stop their creation. But by going back too far could possibly kill the one going back in time. With his regenerating powers, Wolverine is the only possible choice. While in the past Logan has to motivate a self-doubting Professor and break out a "do-it-myself" Magneto to stop a young Mystique with an unfulfilled grudge against humanity. The three must stop her because if Dr. Bolivar Trask captures her, than the Sentinels will gain an adaptive power in the future making them almost unstoppable. This sequel brings up many questions about the last movies, while deleting others from history (for the greater good). But it also raises many questions about the character Mystique.
[Spoilers ahead]
The Sentinels have the power to kill the mutants by mimicking powers from other mutants by developing their skin, taking this from the shape-shifter Mystique. They do this by experimenting on her, using her blood and even brain tissue, but if this is the case and the original series is still a part of history, how do they explain Rebecca Romijn's Mystique, a character who had a pretty big part in the original series?
Some of the best moments are seeing the film add mutants to actual world history. For example, there is a moment when the question of why Magneto has been locked away and Xavier explains the JFK assassination because of the "curved bullet" theory (James McAvoy knows a few things about curving bullets). Eric later defends his case by stating he was "trying to save him" because he was "one of us".
Then of course there is the post credit scene, what is a Marvel movie without one? (Amazing Spider-Man 2.) Here the audience is set up for X-Men: Apocalypse with a scene as cool as it is mysterious. There isn't much to the scene and it goes by pretty fast. Hearing the roar of the audience after that scene let me know the excitement and importance of the X-Men films. While Blade showed audiences that there can be a good Marvel film, X-Men shows that Marvel will have an even brighter future than they originally thought. (Even with the fun cheesiness of the first one, "Do you know what happens to a toad when it is struck by lightning? Same thing that happens to everything else.")
It was a nice experience seeing some of my favorite characters return after 8 years, (possibly 11 years, if you decide not to count Last Stand). Good to see characters like Cyclops and Jean Grey back, even if it is only a 2 to 3 minute appearance on screen. We are also introduced to new characters like Bishop, Quicksilver, Blink, and even a small appearance by Scarlet Witch. These are characters I hope to see much more of in X-Men: Apocalypse. Bryan Singer has returned to redeem this team after Last Stand and Wolverine: Origins and this is the perfect return for Singer. Here is an action-packed X-Men film full of gripping, gritty, and thrilling moments. Not only is this a masterpiece within comic book movies, it is also a visual masterpiece. The special effects define the character, if that makes sense. The character Quicksilver can be a quirky show off, so his special effects are a bit flashy and sometimes slowed down for the audience to be amused. Blink is a mysterious, always-on-her-feet type character, so her effects are quick on the draw.
Could this be the best X-Men movie? It is definitely up there and is now one of my favorites, but for me I still have to go with X2. There is much to this film and no doubt the audience will have a good time. Days of Future Past has given an opportunity for the X-Men movies to take on a grittier tone and is most definitely one of the best movies of 2014 so far.